The Eighth Institute of Architecture was the first eight universities to offer specialties related to architecture and urban planning at the beginning of the founding of New China, including Tsinghua University, Southeast University, Tianjin University, Tongji University, Harbin Jianzhu University (merged into Harbin Institute of Technology), South China University of Technology, chongqing jianzhu university (merged into Chongqing University) and Xi Institute of Metallurgical Architecture (renamed as Xi University of Architecture and Technology, formerly the Department of Architecture of Northeastern University). The first four universities have a deep academic foundation and a strong faculty. The last four universities are generally merged from the departments of 1952, mainly to balance the layout of architectural colleges in various regions of the country. The eight universities are located in the east, west, north and south, each with its own characteristics, and each school has its own expertise.

The research content of Tsinghua University Architecture Department covers areas, cities, villages and towns, residential problems, architectural design and its theory, architectural history and historical and cultural heritage protection, landscape and tourism planning and natural heritage protection, ecological planning and green building, building environment control and building energy saving, computer-aided architectural design, and the application of remote sensing and geographic information system.

The Department of Architecture of Southeast University has formed research characteristics in the fields of architectural design, urban design, architectural history, heritage protection, and the application of architectural digital technology, and has produced national academic influence.

Advantages of architecture department of Tongji University: architecture, architectural history and theory, architectural design and its theory and architectural technology science, urban and rural planning, landscape architecture.

Advantages of architecture department of Tianjin University: architecture, architectural design and theory, architectural technology science, urban and rural planning, landscape architecture.

The architecture department of Harbin Institute of Technology has formed its own academic characteristics in many directions, such as architectural design, regional architectural design, architectural technology, architectural history and theory, urban planning and urban design in cold regions, and environmental art design in cold regions.

The Department of Architecture of South China University of Technology has its own characteristics and advantages in subtropical architectural design, subtropical urban planning and design, Lingnan landscape architecture, architectural and cultural research, protection and restoration of ancient architectural relics, Lingnan residential research, subtropical architectural technology science and so on.

The Department of Architecture of Xi University of Architecture and Technology focuses on the development of disciplines such as "human settlements in ecologically fragile areas in the west", "human settlements for vulnerable groups" and "protection of cultural heritage".

Advantages of the Department of Architecture of Chongqing University: architecture, urban planning and design, architecture, urban and rural planning, landscape architecture.